July 16, 2014
Kingaroy Hospital will have a special stall at Kingaroy Shoppingworld tomorrow (Thursday) to offer information and advice about diabetes.
The stall is part of an effort by the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service (DDHHS) to spread the message about diabetes during Diabetes Week (July 13-19).
The Diabetes Clinical Nurse for the South Burnett, Kylie Andersen, will be looking after the stall from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
“We will be happy to help people assess their risk of diabetes and to share information about reducing the risk of diabetes and its associated complications,” Ms Andersen said.
She said figures from Diabetes Queensland showed an alarming rise in the prevalence of the disease.
“According to Diabetes Queensland there are more than 2300 people living with Type 2 diabetes in the Nanango electorate,” Ms Andersen said.
“They have also said that for every person with Type 2 diabetes there are up to three more people who are undiagnosed or have pre-diabetes, which would equate to more than 6400 people in this area.
“This is why Diabetes Week is the ideal time to assess your risk of developing the disease and if necessary, take steps to improve your health.”
Ms Andersen said there were a number of steps residents could take to reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.
“Firstly, to understand your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes take a few minutes to do an online assessment on the Diabetes Queensland website,” she said.
“One of the main contributing factors to developing Type 2 diabetes is obesity so it’s also recommended that you maintain a healthy weight, include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet, and do some moderate exercise every day.”
